According to the Associated Press, “Seniors enrolled in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans will be hit with double-digit premium hikes next year if they don't shop for a better deal, says a private firm that analyzes the highly competitive market.”

There are new changes coming to Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. With several new plans to choose from, it is important for each person who qualifies to ensure that the plan they have continues to be the ideal plan for them. It may be possible to save money by choosing an alternate plan and there are resources available to help you and your family evaluate plan options to find the best plan for you.

A Few Things to Consider

Understanding your Medicare D options can be overwhelming and confusing. However, it is a smart idea to review your Medicare D plan options each year for the following reasons:

Cost: What is the total annual cost of premium and medication costs? Many people only take into consideration their monthly premium, but it is important to look at your deductible, the monthly premiums and your co-pays to see how much you are paying and to see if you can do better with a difference company.

Coverage: Will the medicine you take be covered by your plan in 2013? Formularies are constantly changing. We can’t assume that a medicine that was covered this past year will be covered next year.

Convenience: Will your plan allow you to go to your local pharmacy? Sometimes it’s even possible to save money by obtaining your medication by mail order.

Open Enrollment

Open enrollment begins October 15 and runs until December 7. If you live in the Greater Dallas area, JFS is available to help you evaluate your current Medicare D plan and potential alternative plans. 

To schedule an appointment, review your plan or for any of our services for older adults including assessment, care management, counseling, Lifeline emergency response system, transportation to medical appointments, kosher home-delivered meals, caregivers support group and more, contact Debi Weiner, ACSW, LCSW, director of services for older adults at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 972.437.9950.

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that an estimated 14.9 percent of U.S. households—17.9 million in total—“had difficulty" at some point last year getting food because they just didn't have enough money or other resources.

At JFS, we have been responding to the issue of hunger for many years. But our response might be different than you think.

Certainly the first component of our response is the JFS Food Pantry, which has provided confidential, comprehensive food distribution to the Greater Dallas community for over 30 years. Our dedicated volunteers and professional staff create a welcoming, and respectful environment. Within guidelines, people are able to choose healthy, nutritious foods that meet dietary needs or personal tastes. Outcome measures demonstrate the Pantry’s immediate impact with 97 percent of families reporting their food needs were met.

Even so, we continue to ask the larger questions: How do we address hunger so people will be able to provide for themselves? How do we help the person manage the reasons they need food today?  And what is needed to help them remain hunger-free? Let’s face it; providing food is an immediate response. At JFS, we believe that supporting an individual or family to ultimately regain self-sufficiency involves an understanding of the bigger picture. This is why we take a more comprehensive approach to our work.

Many times hunger is just the first symptom of greater challenges.  Has someone suddenly lost a job? Used up their savings?  Been diagnosed with an illness that is keeping them from work or adding new medical bills? Missing work to care for an ill family member?  Coping with family violence, with mental illness or a child with special needs therefore creating additional expenses?

In addition to distributing food, our JFS team works with each individual and family to identify and provide additional needed services and resources. We call this “wraparound care.” Many of these services are available in our own facility—including onsite career and employment services, mental-health assessment and counseling for children, teens and adults, family violence intervention, a special needs resource team, play therapy for children and services to help the elderly, ill and disabled remain independent. If we can’t provide necessary services, we work closely with our community partners to ensure that our clients’ needs are met.

This comprehensive and coordinated wraparound care is our answer to the statistic released this week—and to the hunger we see every day. Helping individuals and families regain self-sufficiency to meet long-term needs and goals is the most significant, effective and efficient service we can provide.

Unemployed? Underemployed? Looking for a new job and not sure where to start?  It’s easy to let anxiety drive our actions in tough times. There is a great deal of job search advice out there - interviewing tips, networking tricks, resume guidance and job lead lists – and one can quickly become overwhelmed and unsure of where to even begin.

But if you take a deep breath and develop your larger strategy before you even begin your job search, and maintain it throughout, you will find much greater success. Then you’ll be ready to make the best use of the many job-search skills and tools available.

Create a Daily Plan.  Develop a schedule for yourself that makes mental and physical health a priority. It’s not healthy – or productive -- to spend 10 hours a day in front of the computer looking for a job. Plan a daily schedule that includes time for exercise, reading or another hobby, time with family/friends, preparation of healthy meals, etc. and stick to your schedule. The healthier you are, the “healthier” your job search will be.

Strengthen Relationships. Beyond growing your network to include more people – family friends, neighbors, people from the gym, church/temple, groups and volunteer groups – expand the depth of your existing relationships, too. Reconnect with old friends and co-workers and nurture these relationships. Not only do these relationships have the potential of bringing a job opening your way, but you’ll appreciate the emotional support that comes from really connecting with another person.

Recognize Change May Bring Opportunity. In today’s tough job market, you might need to consider a job in a completely new field. And who knows what new opportunity that may bring! Take a step back and identify the passions, skills and talents that may be a great fit for a new career path.

Understand Your Emotions. It is completely understandable to feel discouraged, frightened or worried at times. Be sure to share these feelings with someone you trust while also working to energize and motivate yourself. And when something positive happens, be sure to embrace these optimistic times and share with your family and friends. This positive attitude will impact your search and allow you the chance to discover new opportunities you never imagined before.

Communicate With Your Family. Unemployment can be a tough time for everyone. Keep the lines of communication open. Be honest with your family about what you’re going through and how you’re feeling, and ask them to share their feelings, too. It is a difficult time, but clear communication will enable everyone to best support each other today and be on good terms tomorrow when your new job offer comes in.

Understand Your Priorities. How far are you willing to travel for your job? How much money do you need to make to pay your bills and support your family’s needs? What kind of job allows you to meet your family obligations to your spouse, children, parents or others? With this knowledge you can quickly focus your job search, eliminating jobs that aren’t a good fit based on pay, location and family priorities.

Now that you’ve developed your personal strategic framework, you’re ready to conduct your successful job search!

To learn more about the career and employment services available at JFS, visit http://www.jfsdallas.org/help/careers.

As Deena Gerber, Executive Director of the Jewish Family Service of New Orleans noted in her email this morning, "As they say, it is just déjà vu."

As Hurricane Isaac brings back memories of Hurricane Katrina, Jewish Family Service Dallas remains prepared to again assist families in need who may arrive in the Greater Dallas metroplex. As always, we are available 24/7 at 972-437-9950 should someone need to contact the agency for emergency assistance. The New Orleans JFS has our contact information and will use it as needed.

Please note that our Jewish Family Service Dallas is a member agency of the County VOAD. The VOAD is comprised of community non-profits with emergency response capacities that work together in a coordinated effort when natural disasters occur. We are updated on the latest information concerning a natural disaster and the resources needed to help. In addition to the assistance we can provide, we can directly connect individuals to a system of services that is much more fully developed and coordinated since Katrina.

The most recent information from the VOAD and news reports is that lodging is filling up in southern and eastern Texas.  Currently there are two shelters in East Texas (Tyler and Texarkana), one shelter in Dallas County (DeSoto) and two in Haltom City. Currently shelter use is minimal but there will continue to be self evacuations today.

As we learned from Katrina, if there were to be a mandatory evacuation order for New Orleans (we are not anticipating this), people may not know where family or close friends went to seek refuge. During Katrina, we received many calls from relatives and organizations and we assisted many people in locating loved ones. Please let us know of families who come to Dallas so we can again facilitate this process. 

We should also remember the tremendous outpouring of support, both volunteer time and resources, that occurred during Katrina. We will again keep our community informed should similar efforts be required again.

As Sharon Kirkpatrick, a senior staff member from Jewish Family Service of New Orleans notes, "we are stocking up and battening down the hatches."

Thank you and please feel free to be in contact with us regarding these developments.

Thank you, 

Michael Fleisher 

Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Family Service 

You are about to send your child off to school. Pencils, notebooks, binders – the backpack is filling up. Have you prepared them with everything they need to achieve success during the pre-school, elementary, middle and high school day? Be sure to provide these critically important items.

Confidence - Your child develops confidence as a result of achievements.  Help your child feel supported and empowered to try new things. Confidence is earned as a result of “little things,” like learning to tie shoes or making one’s bed or treating family and friends well. It is also earned through larger achievements like hitting a home run, performing well at the music recital or a high grade on a math test.

Creativity - Ingenuity will allow your child to problem solve, experiment and imagine during science, creative writing and an argument on the playground.  Lay the groundwork for creative thinking by providing opportunities to discuss alternatives to solutions, “what ifs,” and brainstorm together new inventions or a solution to a disagreement about what to serve for dinner.

Empathy - An empathic child is a child who has been nurtured. Helping your children to feel safe and calm will set the stage for developing empathy. When a child is exposed to too much anger and sadness on a regular basis the child can become overwhelmed; children who are overwhelmed are blocked from developing empathy because they learn to block their emotions. Talk with your child about their daily challenges and nurture them through painful experiences.

Resilience - The American Academy of Pediatrics recently wrote about “Building Resilience in Children.” Conveyed through their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, resilience will enable your child to overcome adversity.  All children make mistakes.  Resilient children view mistakes as opportunities to learn.  Help your child by setting realistic expectations, emphasize that mistakes are expected and communicate that you will love them along with their mistakes.  Talk about your own mistakes and model acceptance for your children.

Respect - The best way to teach respect is to show respect.  Be honest, trusting and polite especially when the kids are watching. Explain why a rule is important. Model self-respect.  Stay positive about your body image, academic achievements and close relationships and acknowledge your imperfections.

Security – Provide a sense of security.  Remind your child that movie theaters and schools are safe places and that adults will help to ensure that they are safe. Teach your child to be safe online and on the playground and remind them that you will always be there if they feel unsafe.  A family photo in the backpack and a text at lunch will reinforce safety all day long. 

Expect your school to work with you and your child in each of these areas. Remember that your child’s success at school is not simply measured through As and Bs but through learning experiences and growth opportunities. Each day your child has the chance to decide who they are and who they wish to be. Let’s be sure their bags are packed for success.

At JFS it is our priority to create and maintain meaningful relationships with you - our clients, donors, volunteers and members of the greater Dallas community. We are constantly exploring effective ways to provide you valuable information and thoughtful insights related to the many different dimensions of your life.

Over the past year we’ve revised our website, initiated more frequent e-newsletters and leveraged social media channels to further our communications and relationships with the community. And today we are proud to announce another resource, our JFS blog – Connections.

We promise this blog will allow you to…

• Go beyond the threshold to learn about the many trends, challenges, outcomes and blessings related to our work.
• Read real-time responses to community and national news headlines and discussions concerning cutting edge mental-health and social service issues.
• Stay informed about JFS professional services, volunteer opportunities, fundraising initiatives and upcoming ways to be part of our agency.
• Connect to our professional staff through their responses to your questions and input.

Always with our mission in mind, we trust this blog will be another JFS resource you come to rely on. Stay tuned for perspectives on topics including:

• how to best parent your child (of any age) who is “pushing everyone’s buttons”
• finding meaning through our everyday activities and relationships
• juggling work, marriage, friends, kids and elderly parents
• emotionally nurturing oneself and those closest to us
• our aging and the aging of those around us
• life’s expected and unexpected challenges

Please accept our invitation to continue to check back for our bi-weekly blog posts.

We welcome your feedback, as well as your suggestions for topics to cover with future posts. Just email the JFS team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The JFS blog is coming soon! Check back soon for our first post!
Questions? Contact Marketing Director Becca Mandeville at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 972.437.9950.